You can't discredit Bure for his competition unless you're discounting Sakic, Lemieux, Yzerman, Jagr, etc. too. He had an obviously Russian game - his speed is obviously legendary, but he combined that with great puck possession and overall goal scoring talent. He was possibly the most exciting player of his era, which should go a long way towards induction when you consider who he played with.

Also, I completely forgot about his trade demand from Vancouver as a character issue, but I think it's a non factor. Just bringing it up before Birds does to contradict the clean record point._________________

Only four male players get in per year, I think. I'd go Shanny, Sakic, Bure, and that's probably it. Sundin, Roenick and Naslund aren't first balloters (although Mats is one of my all time favorites), and Lindros and Oates are borderline.

The one player conspicuously missing from the Hockey HOF is Guy Carbonneau. Very great checking forward. A key part of two Stanley Cup winners, then played on a third Cup winner late in his career. It would be a travesty if Naslund, Sundin, Roenick or Oates got in ahead of him._________________
The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. — Ecclesiastes 9:11

Wow. I forgot about Oates, but he was overdue. He's been eligible since 2007 too.

Shanny and Lindros snubbed but the limit per year is there for good reason._________________"There are stories of coincidence and chance, of intersections and strange things told, and which is which and who only knows; and the book says we may be through with the past, but the past ain't through with us."

Look at Hull's stats with and without Oates and it's easy to see why the latter is HHOF worthy. Without question one of the best pure playmaking centers the game has ever seen.

Congrats to Sakic, Bure, and Sundin too. A tremendous honor._________________"There are stories of coincidence and chance, of intersections and strange things told, and which is which and who only knows; and the book says we may be through with the past, but the past ain't through with us."

Gilmour, Sittler, McDonald and Salming between them have two Stanley Cups (Gilmour and McDonald were both on the 1989 Calgary Flames), one 50-goal season, zero scoring titles, zero Hart Trophies, zero Norris Trophies for Salming, zero Conn Smythe Trophies. Gilmour won the Selke Trophy once (Guy Cabonneau won it three times)._________________
The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. — Ecclesiastes 9:11